Tétreault, Marino win on Opening night in QC (video)

Quebec City – The bestowing of wild cards upon the Canadian content at the Bell Challenge isn’t nearly the act of charity it used to be.

Where the hometown girls used to master the art of one-and-done, there are five in this year’s draw who can actually win matches.

The lowest-ranked of them, Vancouver’s Rebecca Marino, started things off with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Lauren Albanese of the U.S. last night.

St-Jean’s Valérie Tétreault followed it up with the 6-2, 6-1 trouncing of cranky Czech Barbora Zahlavova Strycova in the nightcap.

“She seemed bothered by the line calls. In a match there always a few that go to one side, but these things tend to even out,” Tétreault said. “My adrenaline was a little high early in the match. But I just told myself, play a tight game, and don’t give her anything.”

Here she is, talking about her win, and about a marathon win over pal Stéphanie Dubois earlier this summer in Texas.

Marino, an 18-year-old in her first full year on the pro tour, became the sixth Canadian to find a home in the WTA Tour top 200 when she reached a career high of No. 182 yesterday.

She celebrated by defeating a player ranked six spots higher, who had beaten her easily on the slower Har-Tru surface this spring.

“The (indoor hard court) helped me out a little bit more, whereas the clay helped her out a little more,” Marino said. “I have my big serve, and it really really helped me today. So I was very pleased with that.”

Marino has been training out of the national centre at Uniprix Stadium the last few months, with the Tennis Canada coaches and fitness guru André Parent. The work is paying dividends.

She looks leaner, more athletic, and her results bear it out. She has cut her ranking in half, from No. 340 at the end of 2008.

Marino turned pro in April, closing the door on university after having deferred her acceptance to Georgia Tech last fall. “It was actually a tough decision. But I didn’t see any players in the top 300, which I was at the time, playing college tennis,” she said.

Both players await their second-round opponent.

Tétreault will meet the winner of a match between Laval’s Stéphanie Dubois and the No. 4 seed, Lucie Safarova, which will be played today.

(For more photos from the Bell Challenge, click here or on any of the photos above to access the Open Court gallery).

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